280 
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flfcajor 5obn Hnbre's 
(3erman Xetter 



BY 

CHARLES I. LANDIS 



Read Before the Lancaster County Historical Society 
Friday, June 5, 1914 



LANCASTER, PA. 
1914 



Major jobn Hnfcre's 
German Xetter 



BY 

CHARLES I. LANDIS 



Read Before the Lancaster County Historical Society 
Friday, June 5, 1914 



LANCASTER, PA. 
1914 



£ 



226 

A5Lz5 



PRESS OF 

THE NEW ERA PRINTING COMPANY 

LANCASTER, PA. 



AUG [ i 



1914 



PREFACE 



THE STORY OF A LETTER. 

About a year or more ago, while coming from Philadelphia 
to Lancaster, I accidentally fell into the company of three 
gentlemen, one of whom was Eugene Snyder, Esq., of the city 
of Harrisburg. In the course of what to me at least was a very 
pleasant and interesting conversation, he remarked that he had 
a letter written from Carlisle by John Andre to his great 
grandfather, Eberhart Michael, who then lived in Lancaster, 
and that he thought the Lancaster County Historical Society 
ought to have it for preservation. I told him that I was a 
member of the Society, and that I knew they would greatly 
appreciate the gift, and he then said he would send it to me for 
that purpose. Time went on, and as I heard no more concern- 
ing it from Mr. Snyder, I concluded that perhaps he had made 
other plans, and, knowing the historical value of the letter, 
I did not deem it proper to suggest to him anything which 
might possibly not accord with his own wishes. However, 
recently, a member of the Lancaster Bar met Mr. Snyder at 
the funeral of the late Lyman D. Gilbert, Esq., who was one 
of the gentlemen present when the original conversation took 
place, and Mr. Snyder told him that he had the Andre letter, 
that he had promised me to give it to the Lancaster County 
Historical Society, and that he proposed to carry out such inten- 
tion. I thereupon wrote to him, stating that I had not for- 
gotten our talk about the letter, and that I was very glad that 
he still had it in remembrance, but that I deemed it indelicate 
even then to urge him to send it to me, and that only if accord- 
ing to his own good pleasure should he make the gift. If he 
concluded to do so, it would be received and greatly appreciated. 
In a few days, he sent me the letter, with a translation from 
the German, also a copy of the reply of Eberhart Michael, and 

3 



a certificate of the authenticity of both. The high character 
of Mr. Snyder is a sufficient certificate, and none better could 
be furnished. I immediately handed over all these papers to 
Mr. Steinman, the President of your Society. 

The letter, through much handling, was in pieces when re- 
ceived, but the whole letter was there, and, with the aid of Mr. 
Paul Heine, the pieces were placed in proper position. 
Through Dr. John W. Jordan, the services of one of the ladies 
connected with the Pennsylvania Historical Society were en- 
listed, and now the letter, but for the yellowness of age, is 
restored almost to the condition in which it was originally. 
The copy of the letter sent in reply by Eberhart Michael to 
Andre has also been translated by Mr. Heine, and both of the 
translations, together with the correspondence on the subject, 
is appended hereto. 



Letter of Eugene Snyder, Esq., to Charles I. Landis. 

Harrisburg, Pa., May 12, 1914. 
Hon. Charles I. Landis, 

Lancaster, Pa. 
Dear Sir: — 

I here enclose to you, to be by you presented to the Lancaster, 
Pa., Historical Society, the autograph letter of Major John 
Andre of the 7th Regiment of Royal Fusileers, to my maternal 
great grandfather Eberhard Michael, with his reply. The 
letters have been in our family now for 138 years, and have 
been handled so often that they are in pieces. I also here 
inclose an abstract from our family record, showing my rela- 
tionship to Eberhard Michael, and also communication from 
the War Department showing the Military service of Eberhard 
Michael, and also my request from the War Department for 
information, with the replv thereto. 

I am 

Very truly yours, 
Eugene Snyder. 



Letter of Chas. I. Landis to Eugene Snyder. 

Lancaster, Pa., May 14, 1914. 
My dear Mr. Snyder, 

I have just received your kind letter of the 12th inst. with 
the enclosures therein contained, and I am already conferring 
with Mr. George Steinman, President of the Lancaster Co. 
Historical Society, concerning them. Until the Society can 
send a fitting acknowledgment for itself I in its behalf wish 
to express the grateful appreciation of all its members for your 
generous and invaluable gift. 

I am with sincere regards, 
To Very truly yours, 

Eugene Snyder, Esq., Chas. I. Landis. 

Harrisburg, Pa. 



Letter of Chas. I. Landis to George Steinman, Esq., 

President of the Lancaster County Historical 

Society. 

Lancaster, Pa., May 20, 1914. 
George Steinman, Esq., 

President of the Lancaster County Historical Society. 
My dear Sir: — 

On behalf of Eugene Snyder, Esq., of the Dauphin County 
Bar, who resides in the city of Harrisburg, I present to your 
Society an original letter, written in German by Major, then 
Lieutenant, John Andre, of the Seventh Regiment of the Royal 
Eusileers. It was sent by Major Andre to Eberhart Michael, 
who was Mr. Snyder's great-grandfather. It has been in the 
possession of his family for 138 years. He sends with it a 
translation, a portion of his family record, and also a certifi- 
cate as to its authenticity. A copy of the reply sent by Eber- 
hart Michael is also enclosed. 

Very truly yours, 
Chas. I. Landis. 



MAJOR JOHN ANDRE'S GERMAN 
LETTER. 



Translation of a Letter from Major John Andee (Then 

Lieutenant Andre) to Eberhart Michael, of 

Lancaster, Pa. 

Highly Respected Friend: 

After you had made me so kind a promise when I left Lan- 
caster, I expected to receive a few lines from you. We be- 
come easily impatient by waiting upon news we expect to be 
gratifying. I will, therefore, write the first letter, and although 
my language may be bad, it is German, because I am happy 
to express myself in a language in which I have engaged inter- 
course with so many honest and sensible men. Though I 
should prefer to be with you, I must say this is a fine country 
and the inhabitants show considerable respect towards me. 
We very seldom have conversation with them, because, gen- 
erally, no good results from it ; nothing but uncivil and hostile 
answers. We pass our time in making music, reading books, 
and await humbly our liberation, and upon more peaceable 
times. Myself and Mr. Despard are much engaged in playing 
duetts ; he sends his best respects. If you see Mr. Wirtz, and 
Eev. Mr. Hellemuth, and H. Graff, please give my respects to 
them, — from the last mentioned, I have received the maps, and 
thank him. I am, with great respect, dear sir, 

Your obedient servant, 

John Andre. 

P. S. If you should see Mr. Slough, have the kindness to 
request him to write to me. His silence makes me at a loss 
about him. 

Caelisle, 10th April, 1776. 
The address is as follows : 

Me. Ebeehaet Michael, 
Lancastee. 



8 

TRANSLATION OF COPY OF LETTER SENT IN 

REPLY BY EBERHART MICHAEL TO 

JOHN ANDRE. 

Lancaster, April 26, 1776. 
Especially Highly Esteemed Sir: — 

Your honored letter of the 10th of this month I have just 
now received and read the same with great pleasure. Your 
opinion (where you assert that you took the liberty of writing 
the first letter) will disappear when I tell you that already, on 
April 7th, I sent a letter to you with a man who (as he said) 
lived three miles from Carlisle and with his team passed there, 
and who promised me to deliver the letter to you personally. 
Nevertheless, how little may one depend upon such promises 
of people. The contents of the whole letter was nothing else 
but such expressions which honest friends at all times will 
make in high regards towards each other. They owe this to 
each other, having an absolute right thereto. The poor soul 
will profit little thereby, even if he opened the letter and with- 
held it from you. But just on this account is your letter to me 
so much more welcome, because this is convincing evidence 
that you did not wish to wait until I had earned something, 
but (if I dare say so) was paid in advance. What shall I now 
write ? I know you are assured and convinced of my true 
sincerity and high esteem towards you. Nothing would please 
me more, if I had such talents, as to move you to read my let- 
ter with pleasure four or ten times. Nevertheless, in this case, 
you will find yourself disappointed. But what I fall short in 
this, such will be made up by my affection and high respect 
for you, and I know that you are kind enough to write the 
balance on my side. 

It is with pleasure that I hear that you like so well Carlisle 
and its surroundings, and that the people act orderly and kindly 
towards you. Presumably the music suffers, and for this 
reason I would wish to be with you one half day a week. Per- 
haps it will please Heaven at some future time to arrange all 
national circumstances in such way that peace will again reign 



and inhabitants and soldiers will again enjoy brotherly asso- 
ciation. These colonies and Great Britain, — a people mighty 
and famous in the world. 

I extend my greetings to Mr. Despard. What you further 
command me to do in your letter, I will faithfully comply with. 
I have already written to Mr. Thomas in York, and enclosed 
for him the letter of Mr. Hillegas to me, and requested him to 
send same to C. Baily. Tell him I remain with due high 
regards of respect. Especially Highly Esteemed Sir, 
Your obedient servant, 



The members of this Society will recall that one of your 
distinguished fellows, some years ago, prepared and read 
before you an elaborate brochure on the life of Major John 
Andre (see Records of Lancaster County Historical Society, 
Volume 8, page 142). In that article, there will be found a 
description of his residence and imprisonment in the borough 
of Lancaster. It is for this reason that I will endeavor not to 
duplicate with any degree of elaboration what has been there 
so well reported. The reiteration of those facts may well be 
deemed a useless repetition, and your time and patience would 
be without compensating results. There are, however, I think, 
a few new facts that can be profitably added to the story, and 
some of the old ones arising in Andre's career, it seems to me, 
ought even to be restated in reviewing the above quoted letter, 
so that all the circumstances pertaining to it may, as far as 
possible, be made clear. I hope I may be pardoned for going 
over the same to the extent of introducing a connecting thread 
into the narrative. 

It has not been determined with certainty whether John 
Andre was born in London or Southampton. The strong pre- 
sumption, however, is that the former was his birthplace. 
ISTor can there be found stated in the works of any of his 
biographers the day of the date of his birth. Some give the 
year of his birth as 1749, and others as 1752. Both these 
years, however, would seem to be erroneous; for, in a letter 



IO 

written by him to Miss Anna Seward, dated October 3, 1769, 
in speaking of himself, he says : " You must consider him as a 
poor novice of eighteen." From this, and the inscription on 
his monument in Westminster Abbey, where it is stated that 
he died on October 2, 1780, at the age of twenty-nine years, 
it would appear that he was born in 1751. It is certain that 
he had acquired a knowledge of the French, German and 
Italian languages, in some degree of perfection, and that he 
had attained a considerable degree of excellence in music, 
painting, drawing and dancing. His father came originally 
from Geneva, but was engaged at London in the Levant trade. 
At an early age, the son was sent to the University of Geneva, 
and, having been there for some time, was summoned home 
and assigned a place in his father's counting-house. In the 
early part of 1772, Andre went over to Germany, and did 
not return to England until the close of 1773. During this 
period, he visited most of the courts of Europe. His relation, 
Mr. John Andre, was established in business as a musical 
composer at Offenbach, and it is certain that, during this time, 
young Andre visited at his kinsman's house. From these 
facts, therefore, we may fairly conclude that he was able to 
read and write German with fluency. 

After he gave up his business life, he purchased a com- 
mission as Lieutenant in the Seventh Royal Fusileers. This 
was as early as September 24, 1771. When his Regiment 
was sent to Canada, Andre did not accompany it. He first 
came in 1774 to Philadelphia, and journeyed from thence 
through New York and Boston, to join the Regiment. At that 
time, the Governor of Canada was Sir Guy Carleton. The 
entrance to Canada was by way of the Sorel, and the Seventh 
and Twenty-sixth Regiments were sent to defend that passage. 
In the fall of 1775, the American troops, under General 
Richard Montgomery, besieged St. John, at which post Andre 
was stationed. On November 2, 1775, the town was sur- 
rendered. Andre wrote to a friend at home: "I have been 
taken prisoner by the Americans and stripped of everything 



II 

except the picture of Honora (Honora Sneyd) which I con- 
cealed in my mouth." The prisoners, about six hundred in 
number, were taken to Ticonderoga, and it was then ordered 
that the officers should continue their course to Connecticut, 
while the privates should be brought to Pennsylvania, where 
there were greater conveniences for their subsistence. Gen- 
eral Schuyler, however, had promised the officers that they 
should not be separated from their men; and so, when the 
instructions of Congress reached the officer who was leading 
the prisoners to Connecticut by way of the Hudson River, 
they were not exactly obeyed, for all of the Seventh that were 
taken at St. John, officers as well as privates, were brought to 
Pennsylvania. 

From the Hudson the course of the journey was through 
northern Jersey and thence by way of the "Wind Gap or the 
Delaware Water Gap to Nazareth and Bethlehem in the Prov- 
ince of Pennsylvania. The Moravian Diary at Nazareth kept 
by the minister of that town, shows the following entry : " 1775, 
Dec. 4. A strong column of Regulars, who had been made 
prisoners at the taking of Port St. John, passed through on 
their way to Bethlehem, and quarters over night for a consider- 
able number had to be provided here. They were so quiet and 
orderly, that we scarcely knew that there were soldiers in the 
place. Dec. 5. A still larger body of the same troops arrived 
and 20-30-40 were quartered at Several places here. Dec. 6, 
The first column left for Bethlehem yesterday morning, and 
the second early this morning, with their officers and the Pro- 
vincial Commissioners, who lodged in our inn." The inn re- 
ferred to was the " Rose Inn," a portion of which was standing 
a few years ago. The Diary of the Moravian Congregation at 
Bethlehem shows that on December 1, 1775, " arrived to-day 
some British Officers, taken prisoners at St. John en route to 
Philadelphia" ; that on December 5, 1775, " Two hundred 
Royal troops taken at St. John arrived to-day," and that on 
December 6, 1775, " Two hundred Royal troops taken at St. 
John arrived to-day ; quartered partly at the Sim Inn and the 



12 

Crown Inn, and left next day." It also appears that they were 
followed on January 30, 1776, by many of their wives and 
children under guard, in four sleighs, and that as the cold was 
severe their distress awakened much compassion, and extra 
clothing, blankets, etc., were furnished. There is no evidence 
that these prisoners were actually taken to Philadelphia. On 
the contrary the records and newspapers fail to show that any 
of them reached that city. It would therefore seem that the 
statement that they were " en route to Philadelphia " was only 
surmise. By the State Archives it is shown that British pris- 
oners of the same regiments were kept in Heading, and as those 
who came to Bethlehem left on December 7, and some of them, 
officers and men, arrived in Lancaster on December 9, it is a 
fair conclusion that the prisoners came to this town by the 
nearest route, which was of course through Reading. They 
were brought here in charge of Egbert Dumont. When they 
all arrived in this town there were eight officers, two hundred 
and forty-two privates, thirty women and thirty children. 

For a time, Lieutenants Andre and Despard were boarded 
at a public house, kept by Martin Bartgis, which was located 
on the west side of South Queen Street, near what was then 
sometimes called " Court House Square." This house is now 
owned by Frank McGrann, and it is immediately south of the 
Conestoga Bank building. On May 13, 1773, Joseph Simons, 
who owned the Conestoga Bank property, and Martin Bartgis 
made an agreement for a five-foot alley way between their 
respective properties, and there it is to this day " plain for 
all folk to see." On September 4, 1787, Bartgis purchased 
at Sheriff's sale " The Indian Queen," which stood, as some 
of us remember, on East King Street, where the Eastern 
Market is located. Among the bills that were rendered for 
payment was one in Bartgis's favor " For £7 and 6s. for 
chamber, fire and lights supplied to Lieutenants Despard and 
Andre of the Seventh." These officers afterwards moved to a 
house on North Lime Street, then owned by Caleb Cope, but 
which subsequently was the property of the Hon. A. Herr 



13 

Smith. Caleb Cope was a plasterer by occupation, and in 
1774-5, was Burgess of the Borough. The officers were 
paroled to keep within six miles of their appointed residences, 
to approach no seaport, and to hold no correspondence on 
American affairs. Lieutenants Andre and Despard remained 
in Lancaster until March, 1776, when they were removed to 
Carlisle. 

While at Carlisle, they occupied a stone house at the corner 
of South Hanover Street and Locust Alley. They were on 
a parole of honor of six miles, and were prohibited from 
going out of town except in military dress. It is said that, 
one day, Mrs. Eamsay, an unflinching Whig who lived across 
the street, detected two Tories in conversation with them. She 
immediately made known the circumstances to William Brown, 
Esq., one of the County Committee. The Tories were im- 
prisoned, and upon their persons were discovered letters 
written in French. No one, however, could be found to read 
the letters, and their contents remained unknown. After this, 
Andre and Despard were not allowed to leave the town. They 
had secured fowling pieces of superior workmanship, but, on 
this account, being unable to use them, they broke them to 

pieces, declaring that " no d rebel should ever burn powder 

in them." During their confinement, one Thompson enlisted 
a company of militia in what is now Perry County, and 
marched them to Carlisle. Eager to make a display of his 
bravery and that of his recruits, he drew up his soldiers at 
night in front of the house where Andre and his companion 
lived, and swore that he would have their lives, because, as he 
alleged, Americans who were prisoners of war in the hands of 
the British were dying by starvation. By the importunities 
of Mrs. Bamsay, he was persuaded to desist. These officers 
were afterwards removed to York and they were excharged 
some time in December, 1776. It was while Andre was in 
Carlisle that the letter which has occasioned this article was 
written. 

This letter is a most extraordinary document. Its authen- 



ticity cannot be questioned, for it has come direct from Eber- 
hart Michael, and has been in the families of his descendants 
for more than one hundred and thirty-eight years. It was 
given to Charles Albright Snyder by his mother, Catharine 
(Michael) Snyder, a daughter of Eberhart Michael. Charles 
Albright Snyder died in Harrisburg on November 8, 1868, 
and, before his death, he gave it to Eugene Snyder, Esq., his 
son. It is probably the only letter written by Major Andre in 
German which is at the present time in existence. Any one 
who has read the life of Andre knows that his talents were 
varied and exceptional. His social relations with the people 
of Lancaster has been to some extent set forth in his letters 
to Caleb Cope, published in Sargent's " Life of Andre," but 
additional light upon the same subject is here presented. The 
names of a number of persons are mentioned by him and by 
Mr. Michael in this correspondence, and I think that it will 
be somewhat enlightening to protray before the members of 
the Society, so far as I am able, who these gentlemen were. 



Eberhart Michael, to whom this letter was sent, was born in 
Germany, on December 9, 1735. He was the son of Eberhart 
Michael, who died here on February 4, 1765. He was mar- 
ried to Mary Magdalena Henneberger, on October 24, 1764, 
by the Rev. Thomas Barton. Pursuant to the resolves of the 
Committee of Correspondence for the City and County of 
Philadelphia, a number of the inhabitants of the County of 
Lancaster met on July 9, 1774. George Ross, Esq., was in 
the chair, and Eberhart Michael acted as secretary. The 
meeting passed eleven resolutions, which are called " The 
Lancaster Resolves." On December 15, 1774, pursuant to 
notice duly given, the people of this county elected sixty per- 
sons for a committee to observe the conduct of all persons 
touching the association of the General Congress, and the 
Borough of Lancaster, which was in the first district, elected 
twelve members. Among these was the subject of this sketch. 



IS 



He appears in the records to have been present at many of the 
meetings of the committee, and on April 27, 1775, two days 
after the news arrived that the Battle of Lexington had been 
fought, at a meeting of the committee " duly called " at Adam 
Reigart's tavern, "The Grape," "to consult and determine 
upon proper and necessary measures to be taken for the gen- 
eral good in the present alarming situation of affairs," he, in 
company with Edward Shippen, William Atlee, William 
Bausman, Charles Hall, William Patterson, Casper Shaffner, 
and Adam Reigart, attended. At a subsequent meeting, held 
May 1, 1775, at which he was also present, it was " Resolved 
that it is the unanimous opinion of this committee that it 
most heartily recommends to the inhabitants of the County of 
Lancaster immediately to associate and provide themselves 
with arms and ammunition, and learn the art of military dis- 
cipline, to enable them to support and defend their just rights 
and privileges against all arbitrary and despotic invasions by 
any person or persons whatsoever." 

He served in various capacities in the army almost to the 
date of his death. On August 14, 1776, he was a private in 
Captain Samuel Boyd's Company of the Flying Camp; on 
October 21, 1776, he was commissioned Paymaster of the 
German Battalion, Continental Troops, then commanded by 
Col. Baron Arendt. His name also appears, from October 4, 
1776, to May 22, 1777, on the muster rolls of Captain Daniel 
Burkhart's Company of this Battalion. From August, 1777, 
he was on the pay roll of Captain Philip Graybill's Company,' 
and the muster roll of March, 1778, shows him to have been 
a member of Captain George Hubley's Company. His name 
last appears on a general pay abstract covering a period from 
April 1 to May 1, 1778. He was also up to the time of his 
death one of the agents for the seizing of forfeited estates. 

On July 9, 1768, he purchased from Magdalena Wettericken 
or Wedericken, what was known as " The Brew House." This 
property was transferred by him on January 4, 1771 to 
Philip Thomas. On March 12, 1778, it was transferred by 



16 

Thomas to Charles Hamilton, and on November 25, 1782, by 
Hamilton to Mary Michael. The property was located at the 
southwest corner of South Duke and Mifflin Streets, in this 
city, and in it Franklin College was started. 

Eberhart Michael died on July 16, 1778, and was buried 
in the German Lutheran graveyard, the officiating clergyman 
being the Rev. Mr. Helmuth. His holdings at the time of 
his death consisted solely of personal property, and by reason 
of the surrounding conditions they greatly depreciated in 
settlement of his estate. 



The Mr. Despard mentioned in the Andre letter was 
Edward Marcus Despard. He was the youngest of six 
brothers, all of whom were in the British army, except the 
oldest. He was born in Queen County, Ireland, in 1751. 
He entered the army as an Ensign in the Thirtieth Regiment 
in 1766, and was promoted to a lieutenancy in 1772, when his 
Regiment was stationed in Jamaica. He showed a peculiar 
talent for engineering. He was afterward removed to Canada, 
and, as a Lieutenant of Captain Peter Dundee's Company of the 
Seventh Royal Fusileers' Regiment, was captured with Lieu- 
tenant Andre at St. John on November 2, 1775. He was 
brought with Andre to Lancaster on December 9, 1775, and 
they remained together in this town until March, 1776. They 
were both then removed to Carlisle. They remained at 
Carlisle until December, 1776, when they were taken to York, 
and shortly thereafter were exchanged. 

After his exchange, he continued in service in this country 
until 1779. He was then sent to San Juan, and on his return 
he was made Captain of the Seventy-eighth Regiment. He 
was then moved to the West Indies, and he assisted in the 
taking from Spain of a portion of the Mosquito Coast. He also 
held a command in Honduras. For distinguished services, he 
was appointed Colonel of the Provincial forces, and was 
placed in charge of Yucatan. Here, complaint for misconduct 



17 

was brought against him, and he was ordered to England, 
where, in the spring of 1798, he was imprisoned in Cold Bath 
Fields. As no formal accusation was, however, made against 
him, shortly thereafter, he was released. He was however 
again arrested in the autumn of that year, and he was then 
imprisoned at the House of Industry, until 1800. He became 
a soured and embittered man, and headed a conspiracy to 
murder the King and seize the Bank of England, the Tower 
and the Government. He was arrested and tried in 1803 for 
high treason, and, being convicted and sentenced to death, was, 
with nine of his associates, hung in London. It is a most 
remarkable coincidence that Andre and Despard, who lived 
together as officers on parole in this city, both went to their 
deaths in exactly the same way. 



Mr. Wirtz, who is also mentioned in the letter, was Major 
Christian Wirtz. He was one time a tailor, but, on June 13, 
1764, he purchased from Michael Ziegler the Black Horse 
Hotel, formerly located on North Queen Street, about where 
Reilly Bros. & Raub's hardware store now stands. He sold 
this property to Lawrence Herbert on November 22, 1777. 
In the Directory of 1781, he is set down as a shop keeper, but 
what merchandise he dealt in I do not know. 

He was born in Germany about 1727-8. When he came to 
this country and to Lancaster, I cannot ascertain. He resided 
here until about the close of the Revolutionary War, when he 
moved to Philadelphia. In the minutes of the Supreme Exec- 
utive Council of November 19, 1779, the entry appears: 
" Christian Wirtz of Lancaster produced a receipt for the sum 
of Fourteen Thousand Four Hundred Pounds, signed by 
Charles Wilson Peale, Agent; the same being in full considera- 
tion for a house and lott, situate on the southwesterly corner 
of Walnut and Front Streets (Philadelphia), containing in 
breadth, north and south, about nineteen feet, and extending 
east and west eighty feet, late belonging to David Sprout, 



18 

seized and sold according to law. ..." He was Treasurer of 
the County in 1770. 

At a meeting of the Committee of Observation, held May 4, 
1775, he agreed that the County should have his powder, being 
five quarter casks and some pounds loose, at a rate of £15 
per cwt., they paying the carriage, and his lead, being about 
150 pounds, at 45 pence per cwt. 

A military convention, representing fifty-three Battalions 
of the Associators of Pennsylvania, met in this Borough on 
July 4, 1776, to choose two Brigadier Generals to command 
the Battalions. Col. George Ross was President and Col. 
David Clymer acted as Secretary. Christian Wirtz, as a pri- 
vate, was a delegate to this convention. General Daniel 
Roberdeau and General James Ewing were elected. 

On January 6, 1777, Wirtz was appointed Town Major, for 
the purpose of guarding the prisoners in the Barracks, the 
ammunition and the stores in Lancaster, during the absence 
of the militia, and subsequently he was appointed by the 
Supreme Executive Council a Commissioner of Purchase for 
Lancaster County. On January 5, 1781, he was bound over 
before William Henry, one of the Justices, for refusing to 
take the State's money at the value of gold and silver, and he 
appears to have been suspended from his office, for on March 
14, 1781, John Miller was appointed in his stead. It was 
charged that he cried down the State's money, "saying that 
it is good for nothing and will depreciate; that the price he 
gives for wheat is too little, that it will be dearer," etc. 
What became of the charges, I cannot ascertain. 

He was also a member of the First Battalion of the Flying 
Camp. 

He died in Philadelphia, in the month of April, 1813, and 
he was buried from St. John's Lutheran Church in that city 
on April 8, 1813. He was twice married. The name of his 
first wife was Margaretha Houser, and of his second, Mary 
Wynkoop. 



19 

The Rev. Mr. Helmuth named therein was Rev. Justus 
Heinrich Christian Helmuth. He was born in Helmstaedt, 
in the Duchy of Brunswick, Germany, on May 16, 1745. His 
father died when he was yet a boy, and he immediately left 
home without the knowledge of any of his family. He was 
overtaken on the road by a nobleman, who, becoming interested 
in his artless replies, took him into his carriage, and after- 
wards sent him to Halle, to be educated. He was in his four- 
teenth year when he entered the Orphan House, and after 
having passed the prescribed course of study, he became a 
member of the University. In company with his friend, 
John I. Schmidt, he was sent to America as a missionary to 
the Germans, and in 1769, they landed in Philadelphia. Eev. 
Dr. H. M. Muhlenberg took Mr. Helmuth with him to Lancaster, 
and the latter preached his first sermon in Trinity Lutheran 
Church on the fifth Sunday after Easter, 1769. On May 1, 
1769, he was called to the pastorate, and he continued pastor 
of the church until 1779. In 1774, he served three other 
congregations besides his own. He was, on May 25, 1779, 
chosen pastor of St. Michael's and Zion Churches, in Phila- 
delphia, and, accepting the call, he removed to that city, where 
he remained in the service of those churches until 1820. 

He was the author of several volumes of prose and verse, 
and, for a time, he edited the Evangelical Magazine. Among 
his publications was his " Brief Account of the Yellow Fever 
(1793)." In this epidemic, 625 of his congregation died, 
and he at that time spent a large part of his days in the grave- 
yard, burying the dead, and, besides, held daily services in his 
church. 

He was active in founding Franklin College, and appears 
as one of the petitioners for the charter of that institution. 
He was one of its first trustees. He afterwards became Pro- 
fessor of German and Oriental Languages in the University of 
Pennsylvania, and he served as such for eighteen years. 
When he accepted a professorship in the University, he was 
obliged to resign his trusteeship in Franklin College, as the 



20 

charter of the latter did not permit any of its professors to be 
members of the Board of Trustees of any other institution. 
He died in Philadelphia on February 5, 1825, being almost 
eighty years old. He was buried in front of the cellar in St. 
Michael's Church, Fifth and Cherry Streets, in the city of 
Philadelphia, but when St. Michael's Church was torn down 
in 1874 his bones were removed and were reburied outside at 
the west end of Zion's Church on Franklin Street. 

In July, 1771, during his pastorate, a subscription was 
opened for a new organ in Trinity Church, and the funds 
needed were successfully collected. A British officer, who was 
then a prisoner in Lancaster, thus describes it : " Largest pipe 
organ in America now in use in the Lutheran Church. Some 
of the officers went to see this wonderful piece of mechanism, 
and sent descriptions of it to their homes. Manufacturer had 
made every part of it with his own hands. It had not only 
every pipe and stop, but had some pipes of amazing circum- 
ference, to be played by the feet, in addition to the regular 
keys," etc. 



H. Graff, mentioned in the letter, most likely stands for 
Hans Graff. There was no one of that name or that initial — 
at least of sufficient prominence to be inquired about, — living 
here in 1776, and, particularly, who would have maps to send 
to Andre. There were, however, here, two prominent men of 
the name of Graff, Andrew Graff and Sebastian Graff. They 
were the sons of Sebastian Graff, who was bom at Offenheim, 
Germany, and died here about 1771. There was, also, an 
older brother, Matthias Graff, who does not appear to have been 
of any great importance, though he lived in Lancaster, and in 
1777 was Assistant Burgess of the Borough. The original 
Graff, who came from Germantown to this county, was Hans 
Graff. He, however, died in 1746. George Graff who became 
President of the Farmers Bank, was born in 1857, and was 
then too young to have figured in this matter. As the Graffs 



21 



were Germans, it is likely that one of them was nicknamed 
Hans Graff. Of course, this is only surmise. 



Andrew Graff was born September 15, 1740. He, also, 
was a member of the Committee of Observation, and was 
Captain of a Company in the Revolutionary War, referred to 
as Captain Andrew Graff's Company. On March 5, 1787, he 
was commissioned as one of the Justices of the various Courts ; 
but, with his colleagues, was, by the Act of April 13, 1791, 
passed in pursuance of the Constitution of 1790, legislated out 
of office. A President Judge and four Associate Judges were 
then appointed and commissioned to perform the duties of the 
former Justices, and William Augustus Atlee became Presi- 
dent Judge, and his associates were Robert Coleman, John 
Whitehill, Frederick Kuhn and James Clemson. Andrew 
Graff was, however, commissioned as Associate Judge on Sep- 
tember 13, 1792, and served in this office until January 5, 
1811, when he resigned. He died suddenly on January 15, 
1816, and is buried in the Moravian graveyard. 



Sebastian Graff was a farmer, living in Lancaster Town- 
ship. He owned large tracts of land immediately east of the 
then Borough of Lancaster, included in which was the old 
Ranck's Mill site, and he also owned the land in the Borough 
where the Lancaster Cemetery is located. He was born on 
March 22, 1744. He was active during those stirring times 
which immediately preceded and covered the beginning of the 
Revolutionary War. He was first elected to the Committee 
of Observation from Manheim Township (First District) on 
December 15, 1774, and his name appears at all of the meet- 
ings of that Committee, reported in the Archives of the State, 
up to November 9, 1775. He was mustered in at Philadelphia 
on July 16, 1776, as First Lieutenant of Captain Andrew 
Graff's Company. He was, in 1787, a delegate to the State 



22 

Convention, which ratified the Federal Constitution, and was, 
also, in 1789, elected a member of the Convention, which 
framed the State Constitution of 1790. In the year 1790, 
with Michael Schmyser and Adam Hubley, Jr., he repre- 
sented this county in the State Senate. He died on July 2, 
1791, and was buried in the Moravian graveyard. Subse- 
quently his remains were moved to the Lancaster Cemetery, 
where they now rest. 



The Mr. Slough named in the postscript of the Andre 
letter was Col. Mathias Slough. He was the son of Johann 
Jacob Schlauch (Slough), who was born on August 15, 1708, 
and who married Ursala Elizabeth Steiner on January 2, 1733. 
The father died on May 24, 1750. Mathias Slough came to 
Lancaster with his father in 1747, but whether from Germany 
or some part of America I cannot ascertain. He was born on 
October 16, 1733. He married Mary, daughter of George 
Gibson. Jacob Slough, on March 6, 1747, purchased a lot, 
C4 ft. 4% in. x 150 ft., located on the southeast corner of Penn 
Square and South Queen Street, and he there built the famous 
Swan Tavern, afterwards kept by the Hubleys. The will of 
Jacob Slough is dated September 20, 1749, and, though de- 
posited in the Register's office on June 27, 1750, it was not 
proven until October 30, 1765. This fact shows that the state- 
ment that " he did not open the hotel until about 1754 " is in- 
correct, for he was then dead. In his will, he devised to his son 
Mathias Slough, "The house and lot where I now live," subject 
to certain money charges in favor of his widow and daughters. 
When the father or the son commenced to keep the hotel cannot 
be now ascertained from the records of the Court of Quarter 
Sessions, as one of the books covering the earliest period is 
lost and the others are very imperfectly kept. The Governor, 
then, upon the recommendation of the Court, granted licenses, 
and there may be some records at Harrisburg upon the subject. 
Nor do the later records contain much accurate information. 



23 

They show that he was the holder of a license in 1761 and con- 
tinued to hold one up to 1776, but from that time on nothing 
appears in any of the record books now at command. It is 
said in Ellis and Evans' History of Lancaster County, that he 
kept the stand until 1806. 

The first public office which Mathias Slough held was that 
of Assistant Burgess. He served in this position from 1757 to 
1761 inclusive. He was Coroner of the county from 1755 to 
1768, and, as such, held the inquest on the Conestoga Indians, 
who were murdered by the Paxtang Boys on December 27, 
1763. He was also County Treasurer from 1763 to 1769. He 
was elected a member of the Provincial Assembly in 1773 and 
1774, and of the General Assembly, from this county, in 
1780-83. 

In pursuance of a letter received from the Committee of 
Correspondence of the City and County of Philadelphia, a 
meeting of the citizens of Lancaster County was called on 
June 15, 1774, to protest against the invasion of the rights of 
American citizens by the mother country. At this meeting, 
Edward Shippen, George Ross, Jasper Yeates, Mathias 
Slough, James Webb, Ludwig Lauman, William Bausman and 
Charles Hall were appointed a committee to correspond with 
the general committee at Philadelphia. He was present as 
one of the eight delegates from Lancaster County at a meeting 
of the deputies, chosen by the counties of the state, held at 
Philadelphia, on July 15, 1775. When the County Com- 
mittee of Observation took an account, on May 4, 1775, of the 
amount of lead and powder available, he placed his stock, con- 
sisting of four quarter casks of powder, at the rate of £15 per 
cwt., and 200 pounds of lead, at 45 pence per lb., at its dis- 
posal. He, as an officer of the Seventh Lancaster County 
Battalion, was present at the meeting of the delegates repre- 
senting the battalions for the purpose of electing Brigadier 
Generals. This has been fully referred to in another sketch. 
This and other meetings of like character were held at Slough's 
Hotel. 



24 

On May 2, 1777, thirteen persons were appointed by the 
War Office to supply the army with blankets, shoes and cloth- 
ing. Col. Slough was one of the number. He was also one of 
a committee of twelve to take charge of Dr. John Kearsly and 
I. Brooks, who were arrested for " being concerned in and en- 
deavor to procure British troops to invade Pennsylvania and 
the other colonies," etc. Andrew Graff was also on this com- 
mittee. Nothing came of the proceeding, and one of the pris- 
oners broke jail and escaped. 

He was Colonel of the Seventh Battalion. It was one of 
the thirteen battalions raised in this county. It was ordered 
to Philadelphia in the summer of 1776. From thence, it was 
sent to join the Flying Camp, in New Jersey, and it appeared 
in the Camp on July 8, 1776. On August 27, 1776, he took 
part in the Battle of Long Island. The battalion completed 
its service and returned to Lancaster in the fall of that year, 
and it was then used in guarding the prisoners of war confined 
in Lancaster and Lebanon. On January 6, 1777, the State 
Council ordered the battalion to Philadelphia, and this about 
finished his military career. 

When the first prisoners arrived from Canada, no provision 
had been made for their support. He, therefore, proposed to 
the committee that he would supply rations for them, and the 
offer was accepted. He furnished the necessary supplies, and 
was subsequently reimbursed by the government. 

Col. Slough was one of the fifty-four charter members of the 
Lancaster Library Company, which was afterwards better 
known as the Juliana Library. In 1780, in company with 
others, he started an Academy in the borough, and on June 22, 
1782, was elected one of its curators. He was also an early, if 
not a charter, member of the Union Fire Company. He was 
also one of the Commissioners named in the Act of Assembly 
to secure subscriptions for the Philadelphia and Lancaster 
Turnpike, the first turnpike built in the United States, and 
was afterwards one of the five superintendents who had in 
charge its construction. Subsequently, he became interested 



25 

in stage lines, particularly the one from Lancaster to Phila- 
delphia, which ran every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

An incident of these early times appears in the Quarter 
Session Docket of November Sessions, 1756. It is there stated 
that Mathias Slough had an indentured servant named Michael 
Feeman, who ran away but was afterwards retaken. He there- 
fore presented his petition to the Court asking that Feeman 
should be adjudged to serve him and his assigns for runaway 
time, and expenses to the amount of £18, 16 s., 6 d., whereupon 
the Court ordered that Feeman should serve two years over and 
above the term specified in the Indenture in consideration of 
" the loss of time, charges and expenses." 

Col. Slough owned a large amount of real estate immediately 
east of the borough, and on February 26, 1799, he sold to the 
Directors of the Poor and House of Employment, for £3,129, 
7, 16, a tract of land, containing 84 acres and 152 perches, 
most of which is yet owned by them. On this tract was built 
the stone building now used as the County Hospital. Slough's 
Mill stood to the east of the county land, on the site of the Old 
City Water Works. His daughter, Mary, was the third wife 
of Governor Simon Snyder. Another of his daughters, 
Fannie, was an accomplished pianist, and one of her favorite 
pieces was " The Rose Tree in Full Bloom." The first wife of 
the Governor was Elizabeth Michael, daughter of Eberhart 
Michael. During Col. Slough's later years, he moved to 
Harrisburg, where some of his children resided, and he died 
there on September 13, 1812. There is an entry on the records 
of Trinity Lutheran Church that he was buried in the English 
Cemetery. The English Cemetery of this town was St. James 
Episcopal Churchyard. It is however claimed by some per- 
sons that he was buried in Harrisburg and that there was a 
cemetery in that place known as the English Cemetery. As 
the proofs are not conclusive I do not pretend to definitely state 
the place of his burial. His financial operations were unfor- 
tunate, and it is said that when he died he was bankrupt. 

A fuller account of this distinguished man than that which 



26 

I now give was presented and read before you in 1901, and 
it is reported in Vol. 6 of the proceedings of this society, at 
page 139. Anyone, therefore, who desires more particular 
information concerning him is referred thereto. 



Mr. Hillegas, who is mentioned in the letter of Eberhart 
Michael, was most likely Michael Hillegas. He was a son of 
Michael and Margaret Hillegas. His father was born in 
Alsace in 1696, and died in Philadelphia on October 30, 1749. 
The son was born in the city of Philadelphia on April 22, 
1728, O. S. He, on May 10, 1753, married Henrietta Boude. 
He was a prominent merchant and a refiner of sugars, and he 
was also interested in the manufacture of iron. 

In 1762, he was appointed one of the Commissioners to 
select a cite and erect Fort Mifflin, and the following year he 
was elected to the Provincial Assembly, in which he continued 
to represent Philadelphia until 1775. In 1774, he was a 
member of the Committee of Observance for the City and 
County of Philadelphia, and in 1775 and 1776, he was a mem- 
ber of the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety. At a meeting 
held to consider the Boston Port Bill, he was named as one of 
the committee of forty-three. He was treasurer of the Commit- 
tee of Safety. On July 21, 1775, Eichard Bache, Stephen 
Paschall and Michael Hillegas were appointed to superintend 
the press and to have the oversight and care of printing bills of 
credit ordered to be struck off by Congress ; and on July 29, 
1775, he and George Clymer were appointed joint treasurers 
of the United Colonies by the Congress. Upon the death of 
Mr. Clymer, he became the sole treasurer, and, by election, 
from time to time, he continued in this office until 1789. 

On April 2, 1791, the Assembly of this state resolved " That 
Michael Hillegas be requested and empowered to revise, com- 
pare, correct and publish, in one volume, the Resolves of the 
Committee of the late Province of Pennsylvania, with their 
instructions to their representatives, in Assembly held at 



27 

Philadelphia, 15 July, 1774 ; the Proceedings of the Conven- 
tion for the Province of Pennsylvania held at Philadelphia 23 
January, 1775 ; the Proceedings of the Provincial Conference 
Committees held at Carpenter's Hall, in the City of Phila- 
delphia, 18 June, 1776 ; the Declaration of Independence by 
the United States made 4 July, 1776 ; the Minutes of the Pro- 
ceedings of the Convention of the State of Pennsylvania, held 
at Philadelphia, 15 July, 1776, with the Constitution; the 
Minutes of the Assemblies of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- 
vania to the end of the present year ; and the Articles of Con- 
federation of the United States of America." This volume in 
folio was published in 1782. 

Mr. Hillegas was one of the original subscribers to the Bank 
of Pennsylvania, his subscription being four thousand pounds. 
He was also a member of the American Philosophical Society. 
In 1792, he was one of the Aldermen of the City of Phila- 
delphia. On April 23, 1784, he was, in conjunction with 
Tenche Francis, appointed by the Supreme Executive Council, 
Commissioner to divide and sell the ground on which the Bar- 
racks in the Northern Liberties were built. 

He died at Philadelphia on September 29, 1804, and his 
remains rest beside those of his wife, in Christ Church grave- 
yard, Fifth and Arch Sts., Philadelphia. He had a son, 
Samuel Hillegas, whose name also appears in the old records. 



Mr. Thomas, who is mentioned by Eberhart Michael was 
Ensign Robert Thomas. Where he was born and where he 
came from I have not up to this time been able to ascertain. 
He however entered the 26th Regiment of Foot in the British 
Colonial Service on March 2, 1770. He was stationed at St. 
John, and, with Andre, was captured by the American Forces 
on November 2, 1775. He was brought as a prisoner to Lan- 
caster on December 11, 1775, and he was subsequently taken to 
York, where he was on parole. All of the persons named in 
these letters were friends in Lancaster. On December 8, 



28 

1776, lie was exchanged for Pennsylvania " Muscateer," 
Ensign Michael App. 

On October 31, 1776, he was promoted to a lieutenantcy in 
the 26th Regiment of Foot; and his name continues in the 
records of the British Army until 1779, when it disappears. 
Whether he was killed in battle, died from other causes or re- 
signed I have not yet learned. 



C. Baily, who is also mentioned by Eberhart Michael was 
Capt. James William Baillie. Eberhart Michael was ap- 
parently a little short of paper, as will be seen by the auto- 
graph copy of his letter to Andre. He therefore abbreviated, 
and the C. Baily stands for Captain Baily. James William 
Baillie entered the British Service on April 19, 1762, as a 
Lieutenant of the 7th Regiment. He was promoted to a Cap- 
taincy in this Regiment on June 3, 1774. He was at St. John, 
Canada, and was, upon its surrender, captured there. He was 
brought with other British officers, of whom Andre was one, to 
Lancaster, and was afterwards removed to Carlisle. The re- 
port of George Stevenson to the Council of Safety shows that 
he was in Carlisle on October 1, 1776. He was like all his 
fellow officers finally exchanged, but the exact date and for 
whom I cannot at this time say. 

In 17S1 he was appointed extra Major of Brigade, and on 
March 19, 1783, he was made full Major. From 1785 to 1792 
he was Fort Major at Fort George, Inverness, Scotland. On 
September 1, 1790, he was appointed Lieutenant of the In- 
valids, and in 1802 Major of the 6th Regiment North British 
Garrison Battalion. His name appears on the rolls of the 
British Army until 1S05, and it then disappears. When he 
was born and where, and when he died I cannot say. These 
facts might be ascertained in the British War Office, but my 
time has been too limited to make inquiry there. 



2 9 

And now my task has been completed. I have introduced 
you to every person named in both of these letters. The 
sketches are as complete as I at this time can make them. If 
the result is, that you have been entertained half as much in 
hearing the story, as I have been in gathering together the 
facts embraced therein, I am more than compensated for the 
labor thereby occasioned. 



/ 

iH 



